Archive for March 7, 2018

The last few days have been one of adjustments for lacrosse teams as they moved home fixtures to get them in before the advent of a couple of coastal storms which have ripped through the mid-Atlantic and New England.

The repeated occurrences of bad weather have become a staple of the game since the early 1990s. But for me, that’s because lacrosse has allowed itself to be held hostage to its usual calendar. A lot of coaches pushed the envelope when it came to the start of the women’s lacrosse calendar, especially Syracuse head coach Gary Gait, who once scheduled his 2013 season opener for January 13.

The NCAA has stepped in, but what’s still happened is that there is a ridiculous number of pivotal games when it comes to rivalry, RPI rankings, and other factors, being played in weather meant for skiing rather than lacrosse.

The reason? The traditional end of both the men’s and women’s NCAA lacrosse seasons have been Memorial Day Weekend. It is a natural end for them both because of the one-day break between the semifinal and final rounds of the tournament.

However, there are other events on the NCAA calendar which go deep into June — long after all of the students have left campus except for those taking summer classes.

And I think it’s time that lacrosse does the same thing. Take the calendar two, three weeks into June, and I think you’re going to see the sport bloom like you wouldn’t believe.